NHL

Darren Dreger, who is a second cousin of Dave Nonis by the way, wrote on Twitter yesterday that Dion Phaneuf may be available on the trade market.

Some may view this as good news if they're of the opinion that Phaneuf is one-dimensional and is only good for hits. Those people would be wrong, and here's why:

Phaneuf did indeed have an inconsistent 2012-13 campaign, but he also played the toughest minutes of his career, and more so than any other defenseman in the NHL. According to behindthenet.ca, Phaneuf's Corsi QoC (quality of competition) rating was a ridiculous 3.175 at even-strength. To put that in perspective, the player with the second toughest mi...

Dave Nonis has made his first big splash as general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs… by relinquishing assets on a non-issue.

When training camp kicks off in Toronto it will be James Reimer and Jonathan Bernier battling for the starting goaltender’s role. Ben Scrivens and Matt Frattin will report to the Los Angeles Kings, who also acquired a second-round pick in either 2014 or 2015 in the deal.

The decision is an odd one from the Leafs’ perspective, as Reimer is coming off a season in which he recorded a .924 save percentage in 33 games played, with a .923 SV% in seven playoff games. The 25-year-old has a career .915 SV% in 105 games, while Bernier, who tu...

Not only was it confirmed by ESPN's Pierre LeBrun that forward Danny Briere would be bought out, but conflicting reports about goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov's security with the team surfaced, as well as trade rumors involving Anaheim's Bobby Ryan and Los Angeles' Jonathan Bernier also came to the forefront.

Talk about a crazy day.

All of this coming on the heels of a reported deal struck with the New York Islanders to acquire their former captain Mark Streit. Streit signed a bloated four year pact worth a grand total of $22 million. Following that deal, it signaled change. There is writing on the wall...but for whom?

If, for example, both Briere and Bryzgalov are bought out, that unlocks about $12 million in cap space. The Flyers are currently above the new cap ceiling of $64 million by $7 million. These moves would not afford a ton of room, but it would at least be something.

The Flyers have signed defenseman Mark Streit to a four-year contract according to TSN's Darren Dreger.

The deal is said to be worth $21 million, an AAV of $5.25 million. The deal also includes a partial no-trade clause, meaning Streit can submit a list of teams he would want to be traded to.

The Flyers acquired the rights to Streit last week for a 2014 4th round pick and Phantoms forward Shane Harper. Streit, 35, was going to be an unrestricted free agent come July 5 if the Flyers couldn't reach an agreement with him.

The Flyers have made their first move of the off season, acquiring a defenseman from a division rival.

They have traded forward Shane Harper along with a fourth round pick in the 2014 amateur draft to New York Islanders for 35-year-old defenseman Mark Streit. Streit was the captain of the Islanders team the last two years.

Streit is going to be a free agent come July 5 but they now own his rights until then and have the opportunity to re-sign him. General manager Paul Holmgren said that Streit was one of the blueliners on his radar at the July 5 free agency period.

The Boston Bruins and the Chicago Blackhawks are set to square off in the first Original Six finals match-up since 1979. The Blackhawks, who were heavily favorited to go all the way after starting the season with points in their first 24 straight games, had a difficult time in the semi-finals against the Red Wings but were able to recover and skate their way into the finals for the second time in four years and face a tough, streaking team in the Boston Bruins. (Photo Credit: onesecondleft.com)

The Flyers front office is loaded with former players who have enjoyed their tenure in Philadelphia so much they came back to work in the front office.

Former goalie Antero Niittymaki is the latest former Flyer to join the front office, serving as a scout in the European market for the Flyers. He joins former players like Derian Hatcher and Ian Laperriere who are now employed by the Flyers as personnel.

Niittymaki said he knew exactly where he wanted to go in the next phase of his professional hockey career. And after he played his final games for TPS Turku of the Finnish league, he made the call to Paul Holmgren for a job.

Ever since the Winter Classic was introduced in 2008 with the Pittsburgh Penguins beating the Buffalo Sabres in a blizzard, fans in the Tri State area have fantasized about a match-up between the Flyers and Penguins in the most perfect setting.

That fantasy setting is Happy Valley and it may become a reality in the near future.

Penn State officials confirmed with WJACTV that the school is seriously considering an outdoor game to host an NHL team, or at least their own Nittany Lions in Big Ten action.

Ever since Penn State's hockey team became a Division 1 sports, hockey has exploded in Happy Valley. They played Neumann College on January 4, 2012, losing 6-3.

It has become the most recent catalyst in getting a Flyers/Penguins game at Beaver Stadium.

As we have found in our first breakdown, both teams have a surprisingly strong offense that excels in relatively every medium. It is from this that we did determine Pittsburgh to have an advantage given their sheer numbers.

In this breakdown we will examine the remaining factors of game play which will consist of Defense and Intangible Play (a category consisting of statistical and non statistical information) to determine who carries the advantage and which team will be predicted as the winner in this best of seven.

Defense – Anyone who is remotely interested in hockey understand that the Big Bad Bruins and defense go together like peanut butter and jelly. Over the past...

Two number ones, a number two and a number four have lasted the first two grueling rounds of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and will now face the best of the best in their conference. In fact, all four teams remaining have each won the Cup the last four years.

The Kings are the reigning champs, the Penguins and Blackhawks are the conference favorites and the Bruins are the most physical team in the pack.

Who will move on and who will go home? Conference play starts tomorrow at 5 PM.